No opening ceremony for Indian Premier League, decides BCCI

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has finally decided to do away with the opening ceremony of Indian Premier League (IPL). It cost the Indian cricket board close to ₹30 crore, reported The Indian Express

Among one of the key decisions of the IPL governing council meeting on Monday.

It was also decided that IPL will now have a fourth umpire to focus only on no-balls.

A BCCI official said, “The opening ceremonies are a waste of money. The cricket fans don’t seem to be interested, and the performers have to be paid a lot,” reported The Indian Express.

In the past few years, a number of Bollywood stars and international pop stars, like Katy Perry, Akon and Pit Bull, have been invited at the opening ceremonies amid dazzling fireworks and laser shows.

According to a report in The Indian Express, On the no-ball decision, the official said, “Last season, several players were given out and later recalled when replays showed the bowlers had overstepped. The idea is to reduce errors and controversies.” The next IPL auction will be held in Kolkata on December 19.